Pondichery Café is a must visit for all Thai food freaks, writes GITA HARI.
Off late ask anyone to cite their favourite world cuisine and the patent answer is ‘oriental’ with an emphasis on Thai. Adopting an abundance of flavours of south east Asian culinary practices, Thai food tops the list among globe-trotters and food enthusiasts. It was imperative to try out popular Thai dishes at Sofitel’s Pondichery Café, especially when a celebrated specialty chef comes all the way from her native land.
Welcoming us, Biswajit Chakraborty, the enterprising and dynamic General Manager of Sofitel Mumbai BKC, said, “Celebrating our gastronomic brand pillar Sofitel Mumbai BKC is delighted to join hands with the Thai embassy in bringing you authentic Thai cuisine by Chef Naowarat Charoenwong, whom Sofitel has flown in from Bangkok, Thailand.”
Golden Kinnara – mythological half human half bird figurine of Thailand stood sentinel at the entrance to this well-designed all-day dining, lovely hostesses in shimmering Thai traditional costumes greeted us as we headed to Diamante bar.
Starting with a lemongrass spiked vodka drink with amous bouche of corn balls and mini spring rolls we witnessed an enchanting human puppet show by Thai performers after which we were taken around the elaborate buffet.
Sometimes even the names of some items can sound delectable. Like the tantalizing Goong Makham – prawns in tamarind sauce with coconut palm sugar. Or Sangkhaya Phaktong – custard with pumpkin forming its base ingredient and when had with sticky rice, it was different from the normal sweets.
Indrajit Saha, Executive Chef of Sofitel BKC and young Chef Naowarat with a glowing skin, threw light on Thai cuisine revealing its intricacies and how their culinary pastes are authentic. In fact Chef Naowarat has brought with her ingredients specific to Thailand to create fresh sauces.
No wonder then that we found the aromas and essences of kaffir lime, galangal, bird chilly, lemongrass, green peppercorns, shallots and other Thai herbs and spices like Thai holy basil, Thai chilli powder wafting from the live kitchen counters so irresistible. Indrajit too brings in his ample Thai experience after his stint in Sofitel, Bangkok.
We moved to the plush dining area and noticed the tables were set in traditional Thai fashion with orchids and colourful mini Thai umbrellas with flowers and birds printed on them making the entire ambiance vibrant and cheerful.
Som Tam was a refreshing salad of raw papaya, bean sprouts and other salad vegetables with honey and Thai chilli dressing. Rice Noodles with sauces of your choice with Fish Balls, Ginger Fried Chicken and other interesting dishes were for your taking.
Many fruits including durian (though whole) were displayed in the Thai section. I discovered Mangosteen, a tropical evergreen fruit found in Thailand had fragrant and sweet edible white flesh. The buffet counter radiated with golden-hued diced mangoes and bowls of a white liquid (coconut milk we were informed).
On our sweet finale course as we were wondering, Chef Naowarat explained how to go about enjoying the dessert Khao Neeo Mamuang – take a helping of sticky rice, pour sweetened coconut milk over it and consume it with mango pieces – divine pudding! Pondichery Café is a must visit for all Thai food freaks.
Khao Niew Mamang (Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango)
INGREDIENTS:
Method:
Soak rice for 6 hours. Drain. Steam the rice for half-an-hour or until rice is tender and translucent. Heat coconut milk, sugar and salt over medium flame. Stir until sugar dissolves but do not boil. Remove the rice to a bowl. Add half the coconut milk mixture and stir to a homogeneous mixture. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Divide the rice into required portions. Outline each segment into a 4cm-thick disc. Top with mango slices. Pour the remaining coconut milk over each serving.
Som Tam (Raw Papaya Salad)
INGREDIENTS
For Thai Seafood Sauce:
Method
Take a mortar and pestle. Add garlic, beans, crush it. Add julienne of raw papaya. Add the dressing and pound it. Garnish with coriander and crushed roasted peanuts.
GITA HARI.
